Gizmodo's Side by Side (by side, by side, by side, by side) Action Video Camera Comparison

Earlier this week, Gizmodo released a comparison of 6 action video cameras. The test included cameras from GoPro, Drift, JVC, Sony, Garmin, and Ion. The author of the original article, Brent Rose, decided it would be easier to make his own hilariously-large 6-camera head rig than to test them individually.

Unfortunately, the one thing that could have really set the Ion apart from the pack is also where it stumbled. The Ion Air Pro 3 is supposed to be fully waterproof to an impressive 49 feet without the use of any additional cases. The problem is, it wasn't.

Considering that I was only paddling around for about 15 minutes in very weak surf, this doesn't give us confidence that it would make it to anywhere near 49 feet.

Drift somehow still hasn't fixed its audio problems. It and the Ion easily had the worst sound of the group. While image quality is decidedly better than previous Drift models, the Ghost-S is still noticeably muddier than our top finishers.

The downside? Audio quality is really bad. Garmin claims the battery will go for more than three hours while recording 1080p, but we only got it to 2 hours and 3 minutes, which was the second-worst time in this group.

The hardware is equally impressive. It's not much bigger than the GoPro or the Sony, but as-is, it's waterproof to 16.4 feet (which is more than enough for most watery activities), drop-proof to 6.5 feet, dustproof, and freezeproof to 14 degrees F. It also has a 1.5-inch color screen for framing your shots and playing back video.

It's also the only camera of the group that uses a full-sized SD card.

That said, it's certainly not perfect. The Adixxion struggles with dynamic range, and has a tendency to blow out, losing detail in the highlights.

Simply put: GoPro still makes the overall best action camera. It's the obvious winner in terms of image quality. It has the best detail, solid color performance, and really excellent dynamic range. Everything looks clean, clear, and sharp, with just enough pop in the colors. It's also terrific in low-light (just behind the Garmin) and the much-improved microphone places it second in audio-quality to the Sony.

Austin Rogers joined Fstoppers in 2014. Austin is a Columbus, OH editorial and lifestyle photographer, menswear aficionado, pseudo-bohemian, and semi-luddite. To keep up with him be sure to check out his profile on Fstoppers, website, drop him a line on Facebook, or throw him a follow on his fledgling Instagram account.